Half to thomas herbert



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. MORLEY. STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. No. 499,138.Patented June 6,1893.

INVENTOR ewe (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. MORLEY. STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. No. 499,138.Patented June 6, 1893.

INVENTOR m: NORRIS PETERS cu, PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, 11c.

U'NiT Ep STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT MORLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOTHOMAS HERBERT, OF SAME PLACE.

STOP-MOTION DEVICE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,138, dated June 6,1893.

Application filed December 19, 1892. Serial No. 455,554. (No model.)

.To all whom 232? may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT MORLEY, of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStop-Motion Devices for Knitting-Machines, whereof the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings Figure 1 represents a general view, in elevation, ofaknitting machine to which my improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is adetail view, in perspective, and upon an enlarged scale, of thestop-motion devices, and Fig. 3 is a detail view, on a still largerscale,.of the cam by which the stop-motion detent is directly actuated.

My invention is intended to apply to that class of knitting machineswherein the web descends from the knitting mechanism to a take-up rollermounted in a downwardly depending frame which rotates in conformity withthQlllOVBmGHl? of the rotating member of the knitting mechanism proper,and as the construction of such knitting machinery is well understood, Ishall not describe it in detail, but merely indicate the prominent partsthereof.

Referring to the general view of Fig. 1, A represents the stand or tableof the machine, upon the top of which are mounted the cam cylinder andknitting cylinder, indicated at B. The downwardly depending rotatingframe is represented at O. Said frame carries, near its lower end, thetake-up roller, 0', upon which the fabric descending from the knittingmechanism is wound. Beneath said frame 0 a stationary circular rack, a,concentric with the axis of rotation of the frame, is mounted upon thebottom of the stand A. A vertical shaft, (1, is journaled in suitablebrackets, (1 projecting from one side of the frame O, said shaft havingat it lower end a pinion, a, which engages with the rack, a, and havingat its upper end a screw or worm, d, which engages with the worm gear,6, rigidly mounted upon one end of the shaft of a transverse roller, E,which extends across from side to side of the frame 0, and is suitablyjournaled therein. A pulley, H, is mounted upon the other end of theshaft of said roller E, and is provided with a belt, 72, which engageswith a large pulley, H", rigidly mounted upon the shaft of the take-uproller 0. Thus the roller E and take-up roller 0 are both positivelyactuated by the rotation of the frame.

A short distance below the bearings of the roller, E, vertical slots, 0,are formed through the sides of the frame O, which slots receive, andform bearings for, the shaft, g, of a roller, G, correspondingsubstantially in size to the roller E, and arranged immediately belowthe same. The ends of the shaft, g, extend a considerable distanceoutward beyond the sides of the frame, as indicated.

The fabric in its descent from the machine is led first beneath theroller G, then up between it and the roller E, then over said roller E,and down to the take-up roller O. Thus the roller G, whose axis is freeto move vertically in the slots 0, is supported by means of the fabricand the tension is such as to maintain said roller in substantially itsuppermost position during normal operation.

A vertical rock-shaft, J is mounted in suitable brackets, K, upon oneside of the frame and is secured against upward motion by means of acollar j. Said shaft J is provided with a laterally projecting finger,I, which extends inward toward the rotating frame O, terminating at apoint within the periphery of the circle which is described by the endsof the roller shaft g, as they rotate, but arranged in a plane which isbelow the plane of said roller shaft in normal operation, said fingerbeing substantially at the same level as the bottoms of the slots 0. Ahorizontal cam disk, L, having a cam incline, Z, (see Fig. 3) upon itslower face is rigidly mounted upon the top of the shaft J. A detentlever, M, pivoted at M, upon the stand of the machine is held by meansof a spring, on, in close contact with the under surface of the cam diskL. When the end of said lever which is adjacent to the cam disk-L, is inits uppermost position, 5

roo

mounted upon the driving shaft, S. Said driving shaft is provided with agroove, R,

- engaging with'the sliding clutch member, and

is also provided with a driving pulley, T, as shown. A spring, N, isconnected with the shifting rod, N, and bears against the side of thestand with a pressure normally tending to throw the shifting rod and,bymeans of it, the shifting lever, 0, in the direction proper foruncoupling the pulley, T, from the driving shaft S.

The operation of the device is as follows: The coupling being connected,the detent lever, M, is brought into engagement with the notch, n, tohold the shifting rod against the tension of the spring, N, thuspermitting the coupling, P, to remain in engagement. The position of thecam disk, L, issuch that the end of the lever, M, bears against theunder side thereof at a. point just adjacentto the incline; Z, as shownin Fig. 3, the finger,.I, in this position of the shaft, J, extending intoward the frame 0. The web of the fabric, F, being brought down fromthe knitting mechanism and carried'about the rollers G and E, and thencedown to the take-up roller 0, in the manner above described, supportssaid roller G, during normal operation, at or near the tops of the slots0, and the projecting ends of the shaft g, of said roller, in rotating,clear the finger I. The take-up mechanism is actuated in the usualmanner by the devices described, the rotation of the shaft, d, by meansof the pinion, a, actuating the worm and gear, 6, and thus positivelyrotating the roller, E, whose pulley, H, in turn actuates the pulley, H,of the take-up roller, 0, by means of the belt, h. So long as thetension of the fabric remains normal the positions of the parts continueas just described, but if by the breaking of a yarn, or the missing ofloops, the fabric sags or drops from above, the roller, G, is permittedto descend, so that the downwardly projecting end of the shaft, g, inrotation, will strike against the finger, I, and turn the latter so asto rock the shaft, J, and rotate the cam disk, L, in the direction ofthe arrows, Fig. 3. This rotation of the cam disk forces the'lever, M,to ride down upon the incline, Z, and as soon as it reaches the bottomof the incline (by which time the end of the shaft g has rotated out ofcontact with the finger I) said detent lever has cleared the notch, 72,upon the shifting rod, N. The spring, N, thereupon throws said rod in alongitudinal direction and shifts the lever, O, which in turn shifts thecoupling, P, out of therefor.

engagement with the pulley, T, thus stopping the machine.

In the foregoing description I have specified a sliding clutch couplingas the member of the apparatus which directly controls the motion of themachine,but it must be understood that I do not limit myself to. the useof such coupling, since an ordinary belt-shifter combined with fastandloose pulleys, or any other equivalent device, can be substituted Noris it essential that the exact structure shown should be followed inthegroup of devices which directly actuate the shifting member of thecombination, since any well known substitutefor the rod N and itsspring, and for the detent whereby said rod is normally retained againstthe tension of said spring may be employed. Hence in claiming myinvention hereinafter I use the term devices between the cam and drivingshaft as indicative generally of those parts of the group which arenormally restrained from operation, but to which movement is to beimparted when the stop-motion devices proper operate; thus intending tocomprehend, in combination with such stop-motion devices proper, anyequivalent forms of mechanism intermediate between the stop motiondevices proper and the driving shaft.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- In a knitting machinecomprising a downwardly depending rotating frame and take-up I mechanismmounted therein, the combination with said frame, of a roller adapted tobe supported by the fabric; a shaft for said roller having ends whichextend outward beyond .the sides of. said frame; vertically slottedbearings for said shaft; a rock-shaft provided with a finger extendingwithin the periphery described by the outer ends of said roller shaft,but at a lower, level than the normal level of said shaft; a cam mountedupon said rock-shaft; the driving shaft and devices be,- tween the camand the shaft, substantially as described, through which the movement ofthe cam throws the driving shaft out of position, whereby in normaloperation of the machine said roller shaft is supported to rotate out ofrange of said finger, but upon the abnormal descent of the web saidrollerishaft engages with said finger.

ROBERT MORLEY.

Witnesses:

H. MASON OLAPP, E. REESE.

